Bosnia and Herzegovina is the heart shaped land that lies in the heart of southeast Europe. It is here that eastern and western civilizations met, sometimes clashed, but more often enriched and reinforced each other throughout its long and fascinating history. Sarajevo is the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Located in a valley between the Olympic Mountains and is often defined as the European Jerusalem because of its rare mix of cultures and religions in the same city. It is a city where one can find spirituality, eat the best food and enjoy strolling around through a city of rich historical heritage.
Bordered by Croatia to the north, and west; Serbia to the east; Montenegro to the southeast; and the Adriatic Sea to the south, with a coastline about 20 kilometres (12 miles) long surrounding the town of Neum. In the central and eastern interior of the country the geography is mountainous, in the northwest it is moderately hilly, and the northeast is predominantly flatland.The country is mostly mountainous, encompassing the central Dinaric Alps. The northeastern parts reach into the Pannonian Plain, while in the south it borders the Adriatic. There are seven major rivers in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Sava, Una, Sana, Vrbas, Bosna, Drina and Neretva.
Bosnia and Herzegovina has a mix of Mediterranean and Central European climate. It gets hot in summer but quite chilly in winter, especially at elevations where snowfall can last until April.The most popular time to come is from May to September and for skiing between December and February. Sarajevo temperatures range from minus 2°C in winter up to 27°C in July and August. Temperatures in the south are several degrees warmer.
Bosnia and Herzegovina is known for its natural environment and cultural heritage inherited from six historical civilizations,its cuisine, winter sports, its eclectic and unique music, architecture and its festivals, some of which are the largest and most prominent of their kind in Southeastern Europe.
Bosnian is a South Slavic language spoken mainly in Bosnia and Herzegovina. On a formal level, Bosnian began to emerge as a distinct language after the break up of Yugoslavia in the 1990s. It became one of official languages of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1994, along with Croatian and Serbian. Standard Bosnian uses a Latin alphabet. Historically it was written with a version of the Cyrillic alphabet known as Bosnian Cyrillic from the late 10th century. During the Ottoman era Bosnian was written with a version of the Arabic alphabet.
Bosnian is notable for a number of Arabic, Ottoman Turkish and Persian loanwords, largely due to the language’s interaction with those cultures through Islamic ties. The Bosnian language also contains a number of Germanisms that have been in use since the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Nearly 48% of Bosnian population are Muslims, predominantly, Sunni Muslims. The Serbs are generally Serbian Orthodox, a faith practiced by about 32% of the population. The Croats are primarily Roman Catholic, a faith practiced by about 14% of the population. There are small communities of Protestants, Baha’is, Romani’s, Jews and others.
The Bosnian Convertible Marka is the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The currency code for Convertible Marka is BAM, and the currency symbol is KM.
The Bosnian Convertible Marka is pegged to the euro and has the fixed exchange rate of 1 EUR= 1.95583 BAM.
Every traveler must have a valid passport. Nationals of the following states may enter into Bosnia and Hercegovina with a passport or a valid identity card proving identity and citizenship of:
- Member State of the European Union
- State signatory to the Schengen Agreement
- Andorra, Montenegro, Liechtenstein, Monaco, San Marino, Serbia, the Holy See and Swiss Confederation.
Most countries do not need a visa, but if you do, it is possible to get one from the Bosnian embassy in your country. The minimum amount of financial resources required for the stay of foreigners on the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina is 150 BAM (or equivalent in freely convertible foreign currency) – for each day of the intended stay.
For more information about visas, please follow this link. (www.granpol.gov.ba)